Kolkata: The candidates, empanelled after clearing the second State Level Selection Test (SLST) for the recruitment to assistant teachers’ posts for classes 11 and 12 at state schools, will now have to wait for an indefinite period as the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (WBSSC) issued a notice to halt the counseling process, which was scheduled to begin on Friday.Among the empanelled candidates were teaching and non-teaching staff members, who lost their jobs following an SC order in 2023.The notice was issued in the backdrop of an OBC reservation impasse, said SSC chairperson Dushyant Nariala on Tuesday.The complication arose from the conflicting stances of the previous and current govts on OBC caste-based reservation policies. The previous govt set the OBC reservation at 17% and a few candidates received recommendation letters based on that quota. The current govt amended the OBC reservation laws, reducing the quota to 7%. As a result, SSC officials have sought legal advice to avoid further complications. The SSC will file a petition in the Supreme Court, praying for an extension of the recruitment deadline of Aug 31.A section of the aspirants staged a protest at Karunamoyee, demanding immediate recruitment, citing severe financial hardship in supporting their families.
